


An Intervention

by kiloLeader



Category: Eddsworld - All Media Types
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, And Matt is just there, Drug Addiction, Drug Use, Episode continuation, Future Fic, Gen, I have no idea where I'm going with this, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Red Leader is in one chapter, Sad, Tom is a cop because why not, WTFuture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-06
Updated: 2016-05-18
Packaged: 2018-05-31 18:11:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6481486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiloLeader/pseuds/kiloLeader
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's a reason cola is banned in the future.</p><p>[Direction continuation of WTFuture, features the future versions of the characters.]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Resisting Arrest

**Author's Note:**

> Future Edd looks like a drug addict. He probably is.

After a lot of yelling and a bright flash, the future versions of Edd, Tom, and Matt realized they were stranded in their past. Edd did, at least; the other two are still knocked out underneath a street pole. They would have to flee the scene quickly, not only because of the mess they caused but also because of all the anachronisms surrounding them. The scientists of this time would be stumped at the design of their weapons and one look at Tom caused a double-take at least.

None of that mattered to Edd, though. He came to the past on a mission and now there was no one in his way. All he had to do was head to the store, or a factory, or his old home -- anywhere that held cola in bulk. And now he could get away with it.

But before he could even turn the corner a small laser blast flew by his hip, just barely missing him. He turned around and met Tom and Matt, who were both up and fairly well-recovered. Matt held a gun too advanced for the time at his side and Tom pulled a pair of handcuffs out of his pocket.

"Edd, you're under arrest for unauthorized use of time travel and potential timeline alternation." Tom had the expression and voice of a no-nonsense man, for that was exactly who he was at the moment. He too had a mission, and that was to capture Edd before he could majorly disturb the timeline. Partially. Matt joined him for the other part of their job.

Edd turned to run, but Tom had already grabbed him by the hood to keep still. As he struggled to escape Tom just pulled him closer, trying to wrangle his hands behind his back.

"Why are you doing this?" Edd asked, his aggression turning to desperation. "I thought we were friends!"

"I stopped being friends with you a long time ago," said Tom. He got a firm grip on Edd's right wrist.

As Tom prepared to cuff him, Edd looked to Matt longingly, hoping for a friendlier response. Matt just shook his head.

As soon as he pulled up Edd's sleeve to better access his wrist Tom was seething with anger. He was wearing a smaller time travel device, albeit older and worn from use.

"What's this?" Tom demanded, dropping the cuffs and holding Edd's arm in front of him.

"I think it's obvious."

"Don't snark me. Why did you hide this when we clearly needed it?"

"Because you're just going to take it and put me in a prison cell back in Hell."

"Damn right I am. It's my job."

"You can take your job and shove it 'cause I'm not going back." Edd tugged at his arm and eventually released himself from Tom's tough hold. Then he ran again. Tom and Matt both checked their guns hoping to shoot him but neither of them had any ammo in them. So Edd was free.

Almost. He failed to notice the streetlight still on the ground and tripped with a large thud. The other two quickly caught up to the place where he fell face-first. Tom put his foot on Edd to keep him on the ground and Matt bent down to get the device. He pressed the button and they were all pixelated back to their native time.

Now Edd had the chance to escape again. They were in a desolate area with no obstacles; all he had to do was outrun the others. Tom went to chase after him, but Matt gently tugged his sleeve to prevent it.

"I think we've all had enough for today. We can address the real problem later."

Tom sighed. "I guess you're right." He looked out onto the road in front of them. Edd was out of sight. "It'll take more than a single night to help."


	2. Report

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt and Tom learn their place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't plan on continuing this, but I had multiple ideas that could have fit into one story so I decided to do so. This chapter isn't much, but there'll be more soon!

Tom and Matt knew they would get some heat from failing their mission, but they didn't expect to get it from the great Red Leader himself. That was never a good sign. He was an important, busy man who rarely met with people of their rank. Who knew why he would want to see them.

After a bit of waiting, a guard directed them to his office, where they were greeted by a small chill. The room was large but empty save for the enormous desk where Red Leader sat, covered with a neat technological workspace that surrounded him. It was difficult to tell he was even there. They stepped forward and stopped at a line roughly six and a half feet in front of the desk and waited for Red Leader to speak.

"Name."

Tom was already a bit ticked off. "Why do you need that? You know us!"

"I am Matthew Hargreaves and he is Thomas Ridgewell." Unlike Tom, Matt stood very still and acted professional, but he was visibly shaking out of fear.

Red Leader typed something in on the only physical screen among the holograms, and it pulled up images and records of the two. "No, don't know you."

"Of course you know us! You used to live with us before all this happened."

"There are billions of people in the world, you can't expect me to remember someone from decades ago." Red Leader pressed a button and sent a shock down Tom's back. Matt flinched watching. "I have this room set up so that anything on that side of the room can be shocked. Speak like that to me again and I'll increase the intensity, do you understand?"

Tom rolled what passed for eyes. "Yes, sir."

There was an awkward, bitter silence before Matt spoke. "You wanted to see us, sir?"

"Yes. Yesterday I received a report that two time travel devices were removed from the banks. One of them was traced to you."

Matt nodded. "We borrowed one with permission from the Region Two Police Sheriff."

"I never gave them clearance. Looks like that's another conversation I'll be having." Red Leader groaned before continuing. "Why did you take the device?"

"We were going to chase after the other device and arrest the thief. Unfortunately he got away." Matt looked down, incredibly embarrassed for both him and Tom.

"And the thief was...?"

"Edd. Erm, Edward Gould."

"Oh yes, I thought so." Red Leader pulled up a few photographs of Edd as well as a live recording of him speaking to someone, both looking incredibly shady. Each photo documented an illegal activity -- taking drugs (cola) trading drugs (cola) and several other things. "I was wondering where he went. I can't let a notorious criminal out of my sight for long."

Tom crossed his arms. "If he's such a criminal why don't you just get rid of him?"

"Don't question me." Red Leader pressed a button and sent another shock to Tom. "One or two criminals are good. The people need an example of who not to be. There aren't too many rebels out there, but they flock in groups with a specific leader -- in this case, Edd. If I did anything to him there would be huge backlash that could disrupt the security of my rulership."

"But isn't he a threat?"

"No. Ha, of course not! I could knock him down right where I'm at." Red Leader closed out of everything he brought up during their session and returned to what he was working on beforehand. "Now go, I have things to do. And Tom?"

Tom was already on his way out, but stopped for a moment to listen. "Yeah?"

"Lighten up on the alcohol. Nobody would bat an eyelash if you were gone."


	3. Not the Same

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edd admits he has a problem.

It took Edd far too long to realize that the cola he was drinking was not the same cola he fell in love with long ago. He had a taste of cola from the past and it was radically different. Sweeter, stickier, and much more enjoyable. He still sucked on his soaked overcoat just to get the taste again. Although it was more enjoyable than his typical drink, it didn't give him the high he needed to survive, unlike the one he strived for.

This thought troubled him for some time. He spent several nights pondering the fact, wondering when the recipe changed and why he needed it so much. It was just a soft drink, there was no need to get rid of it altogether. But he knew the truth. He lied to himself, saying he did it out of enjoyment, but he was never going to admit it. If there was one thing he learned from the past, it was that cola, or whatever he drank, was a legitimate drug, and he was addicted.

It was a monthly thing, acquiring his cola. He knew a guy, an alcoholic, who suffered the same problem. They were "drinking buddies" -- men who traded drinks for drinks. The guy must have had cola in bulk because he always had a six-pack available on time. Edd, on the other hand, had to spend time searching for enough booze to fill his quota. It wasn't too difficult since alcoholic beverages were always popular, but he had no reliable dealer, so he often resorted to stealing what he needed. It wasn't like it was the only crime he committed.

It was only a week since he got his new supply and he was already out. This wasn't new. No matter how many times he tried to spread out his consumption schedule he always gave in. This left him on edge the rest of the month. Oh, how he needed another dealer. However, he was running out of ideas on where to find what he needed.

The time was just past one in the morning and most people were asleep. In his opinion it was the perfect time for breaking-and-entering. This time he was entering an apartment building that he wasn't entirely sure even held any. It was a long shot, but it was worth an attempt. The job was fairly easy; it was a room on the first floor with fairly weak security systems. He had it right in the bag.

"Hey! Stop!"

Edd looked to the source, eyes wide. Tom was in the corner surrounded by bottles of Smirnoff -- exactly what he was looking for. He spoke to Edd in a very slurred voice.

"Don't... don't look at me. The cameras can't see me here, I don't want you to blow my cover. Uh... look on the table, that cup has the cola stuff you love drinking so much."

Edd was highly confused, but inched over to the table anyway. He was caught breaking in by a cop of all people and could be captured at any point. The smartest thing was to do what he was told. He picked up the plastic cup that was on the table and sniffed it.

"Tom, this is vodka."

"Oh, darn, I was hoping you'd fall for it." Tom giggled, except half of it came out as hiccups.

Edd rolled his eyes and set the cup down. He was safe. "Tom, how much have you had to drink?"

"I'm only on my third bottle."

" _Of vodka_."

"Don't judge me. At least I can admit I have an addiction!"

Edd closed his mouth for several seconds, staring at Tom without expression. Then he spoke softly. "It's not an addiction."

"That's a lie and we all know it." Tom shifted his position so he could look at Edd better. The empty bottles made a loud clanging noise as he did. "I've been watching you for a while for my job. You're a druggie and a criminal. I would arrest you for breaking into my home but... but I don't feel like it."

Edd raised his voice. "I'm not the only one with a problem. Look at you! You're breaking the law right now!"

"At least I'm smart about it! Those, those cameras can't see me here. Nobody has to know."

Edd sighed. "Whatever. I'll leave you alone if you give me a couple bottles of Smirnoff."

"No! They're mine! Get out of my home and fuel your addiction somewhere else."

Edd slouched in defeat and went over to the door. "It's not an addiction," he muttered as he walked out, but once he closed the door he leaned against it and sighed.

"Okay, maybe it's a _small_  addiction."


	4. Busted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom loses everything.

The Matt of the past would never approve of the way his future counterpart furnished his room. First of all, it was clean and tidy. A year or two ago it would have been a wreck, but his therapist had taught him how to keep it clean, and his therapist was... convincing, to say the least. That, and a law was put in place forbidding the impairment of a camera's vision of a room. A messy place could potentially break that law.

Second, there were very little reflective surfaces. This was again reccommended by his therapist, who was strangely impossible to say no to. It was a way to treat his "vanity issues" as they called it -- part of the government's program to help each person become "normal". Matt, along with the majority of the population, was oblivious to the potential malice of the plan. Because of this, the majority of his furniture was made with non-reflective material such as dull wood or plastic. The only mirror he had was the one in his bathroom.

At times this all felt out of place, like he wasn't the man he was meant to be. But then he was reminded that this was for his own good as well as the good of the people people and set that thought aside. During these periods of self-reflection he found comfort in lying on the couch and staring at the ceiling. This was exactly what he was doing when a violent knock came from the door. He only made it halfway there before the source, Tom, let himself in. Without talking he tossed Matt his phone and sat on the same couch Matt had been lying on moments before. He was fuming.

On Tom's phone was a memo sent directly from the government. Matt read it over then looked at Tom with an expression of both awe and confusion.

" I was caught," said Tom bitterly. "They found out I was drinking when Edd broke in and revealed my hiding place."

Matt sat down next to Tom, shaking his head. "Why were you drinking if you know it's illegal?"

"I couldn't help it. I was stressed, I knew it was there, I acted on impulse." Tom nervously ran his hands through his hair. "I was doing it in private, too. I have a blind spot in my room. Then Edd came in and revealed it and ruined everything."

"To be fair, Red Leader warned you." Matt gave him a caring pat on the back, not knowing what to do.

"Yeah, but I expected death. I'd prefer death. At least I wouldn't have to suffer. But now I'm here, homeless, jobless, alcohol-less... and to make things worse, I have to wear this stupid anklet so they can track me!" Tom pulled up his right pant leg and revealed a metal ring around his ankle.

"That's awful... so you're homeless now?"

Tom nodded solemnly. Matt thought for a moment, then lit up. "You can stay with me, Tom! Just like old times! You, me, and Edd--" He stopped when he received a sharp glare from Tom.

"You do understand that if I move in they'll have to track you as well."

"I don't care, I can't just let you live on the streets. We're friends, right?" Matt smiled hopefully.

"Sure, why not. It's not like I have any other place to go."

Matt grinned. "I'll set things up for you! I haven't had company in so long, it'll be great!"

Tom stared at the new anklet as Matt went into another room. It was too tight to remove; no amount of tugging or pulling could even budge it. He was grateful to have someplace to stay, especially considering he was kicked out of his house without warning, but rooming with Matt and Matt alone wasn't his ideal situation. They were friends and all, but he could be annoying at times. At least he didn't have to sleep on the streets, unlike Edd. He really hoped Edd was dying in a trash can where he belonged.

Instead, Edd had a box of Smirnoff and was ready to celebrate.


End file.
